Apparatus for dispensing beer



June 9, 1936. R, KNA 2,043,856 APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING BEER Filed June 27, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l .79 t (b 1| 1 4! J] 24 15 1 8 18 1'5 5 15 v s 15 15 a 2 INVENTOR Fafiy Knapp A TTORNE Y June 9', 1936. R KNAPP I APPARATUS FOR DISPENSING BEER Filed June 27, 1934 -2 Sheets-.She e t 2 INVENTOR Pd Zfmz V 1 ATTORNEY o t V J [A Patented June 9, 1936 UNITED STA'F'ES PATENT OFFICE My invention relates to a method and apparatus for dispensing beer, and has for its principal object to afford a structure that employs a cooling chamber made of glass or glass lined material, the beer being retained in the glass cooling chambet and conducted therefrom directly to the dispensing faucet.

The glass or glass lined cooling chamber referred to is mounted'in arefrigerating cabinet of suitable construction, and it is a further object of the invention to eliminate the use of the block tin coils commonly employed in the dispensing and cooling of beer by substituting forsuch block tin coil a glass chamber, and thus obviate the recognized objections to drawing beer from a tin coil.

In order to secure the necessary cooling surv.iface for the beer, the glass chamber must be of considerable volume and cross-section, and it is a further purpose of the invention to control and feed the beer in such a way that the contents of the glass cooling chamber do not have to be wasted at any time, but are always in satisfactory condition and available for use.

In using the conventional type of cooler with block tin coils, after beer lies in the coil overnight orfor a considerable length of time, it acquires an unpleasant taste and is not in fit condition for consumption, so that the beer within the coil mustbe drawn off and thrown away, also when a fresh barrel of beer is put on the line, air is pocketed in the coil, causing the beer that is first drawn off to be exceedingly frothy, and this must consequently be thrown away after blowing out the line, and it is a further purpose ofthe invention to eliminate these disadvantages and effect substantial economies by the use of a cooling chamber of glass, or glass lined, that is al' ways filled and connected with a full barrel, so that no opportunity is afforded for air to pocket in the cooling chamber or in the pipe leading thereto and a supply of satisfactory beer is constantly on tap. V

Afurther object of the invention is to provide a system and apparatus whereby a plurality, or as many barrels as desirable may be connected togethenin-series, the-barrel at one end of the seriescommunicati-ng with the pressure line and the barrel-at the other end of the series with the cooling chamber, thus making it possible to take outthe-empty-barreland insert a fresh one at any time, without disturbing the beer in the cooling chamber, and without wasting any beer.

Another object of the invention is to provide simple and practical mechanism for conveniently supporting a series of glass cooling chambers within a refrigerating cabinet in such a manner as to permit their ready'removal, and connecting them with the supply barrels by ,means of pipes arranged in such a way that the conducting tubes to the various barrels can be readily cleaned at frequent intervals without disturbing the contents of the glass cooling chambers, so that the rubber conducting tubes may be more frequently cleaned than is necessary in the case of the glass cooling chambers, this cleaning of the rubber tubes being permissible without wasting the contents of the glass cooling chambers or otherwise interfering with the operation of the system.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in'the method and apparatus that will appear from the following description, whenread in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the novel features being pointed out in the claims following the specification.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a general View illustrating a refrigerating cabinet in section, a series of glass cooling chamberstherein, and the arrangement of. barrels connected with the respective cooling chambers;

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view through the refrigerating cabinet, illustrating one of the glass cooling chambers and the connections between it and the dispensing faucet, also the pipe which leads to the barrel;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail'sectional View of one of the barrelfittings.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the several views, I designates each of a series of glass cooling chambers having a curved top portion 2 terminating in a vertical neck 3 and a horizontal outlet 4 which may be connected through a rubber tube 5 with a pipe leading to the dispensing faucet 6. While I have referred to the cooling chamber in the specification and claims asof glass, it is to be understood that this is intended to comprehend any glass lined or porcelain lined material as well.

The cooling. chamber I is also provided with a curvedbottom portion 7 and a depending inlet portion 8 which is suitably connected with a pipe 9 from the bottom of whicha rubber tube [0 leads to the barrel in the cellar or place of storage.

Thecooling chamber is located in a'refrigerating compartment containing water or other refrigerating medium which is kept cooled by the refrigerating unit l2, the compartment-l being chambersl I can be seen.

a connection permanently attached to the rubber tube l8 which leads to the pressure line |9 containing a supply. of carbonic acid'gas. The

. connection", which is removably attached to the 1 can be used in series, as shown in' Fig. 1, the first. barrel A'being connectedby the rubbertube |8 other end of the inlet I6.

inlet l6, carries a rubber check valve 20, and, 2|

is a second rubber check valve secured atfthe 22 is an inlet pipe located between the inlet I6 and the outlet tube l5, and provided with a cut-off plug valve 23, said pipe 22 ,affording means for connecting one barrel with the outlet tube of a second barrel, as shown'in Fig. 1. r I

With this arrangement, two or more barrels withthe pressure line, :its outlet tube l5 being connected by a rubber tube 24 with the inlet 22 of the second barrel A, the outlet tube of barrel .A{ i being similarly connected with the inlet 22 of barrel A and the outlet tube of the, last barrel A being connected 'through'the rubber tube Ill and pipe 9'with its glass cooling chamber. 7

The pressure line is not connected with barrels A{ or A but only with barrelA, the latterlbeing charged and-through its connection with barrels A and A 7 maintaining a sufficient pressure thereon.- F When'barrel A is empty, itis removed barrels A, and A after first closing the pressure. line valve 25 and also valve 26 which controls the inlet into barrel A. ,The rubber tube I8 is disconnected from barrel A, and likewise the tube 24, and barrel A is removed. i

I If the contents of barrel A are partially drawn i omit is preferable to connect barrel A'with the pressure line and insert the fresh barrel between first to close the. valve 21 controlling theoutlet tube of barrel A',.and valve 23 controlling the inlet to barrel'A then connect barrel A. with the "pressure line tube l8 and with theifresh barrel that'isinserted between barrels A and A in the same manner and relation thatbarrel At V occupies in Fig. 1 between barrels A and A The j-v alve25 canthen'beopened, the valves of the.

severalbarrel'outlet tubes can'beopen'ed, and

fbeer is again ready fordispensing. During this operation of insertinga fresh barrel, the-proper valves 33 are also closed. V V

7 'With this procedure, beer is alway s drawrifrom a fullbarrel, and there is no chance for air to pocketin the pipe leading to the cooling chame iib e'r or in the cooling chamber,,and likewise no, j necessity for blowirigout the. pipe or wasting any a beer, as is generally "done in connectiori'with the block tin coil installation where a single barrel is 1 connected'at a time. 'With applicantsarrangement, since glass has no deteriorating'or displeasing effect .on the beer, the contents of the glass cooling chamberare' fresh and palatable,

after standing in the glass for a number-of hours, and can be drawn on and consumed as though suitably connecting together-the ends of the rubbarrels and the upper valves 33 opened to permit a supply of beer to be fed to the cooling chambers.

To do this, it is necessary,

drawn directly froma barrel. The desired effect can be had by using only two barrels in series instead of three, although it is more convenient and practical to use three or more. 7

In order to provide for readily'cleaning the rubber tubes connecting the barrels with the respectivepipes 9, I employ a universal transverse pipe 3|, see Fig. 1, which is connected with each of the pipes 9 and is provided with valves 32 at its ends and also between each of the pipes 9, while the latter are provided with valves 33 above and below the transverse pipe 3|. With this disposition of the pipe 3| and'controlling valves,

beer may be conveyed from any barrel or group I of barrels to any selected cooling chamber, and the rubber tubes connecting with the barrels can be-cleaned at frequent intervals by closing all valves 33 located above the transverse pipe 3|, leaving open the lower valves 33, and then by her tubes,'a complete circuit through them can be completed as well as the pipe 3| and connections leading thereto. After the'rubber tubes are thus cleaned, they are again connectedto. the.

The glass cooling chambers are removably supported in the refrigerating cabinet in a convenient and practical way, and to accomplishthis I preferably employ a support comprising .a plate 4|. mounted on removable legs 42 that rest on the bottom of the cabinet The plate 4| has a central opening surrounded by a seat to receive the curved bottom'portion of the glass cooling chamber, which latter rests upon rubberpr resi1- ient supporting pads 43 held insuitable grooves 44 in the seat of the plate 4|. 45 designate retaining rods having hooks 46 at'their lower ends engaging eyes which are anchored in the bottom wall of the cabinet said rods. 45 when in vertical position being located in the slots 41 of the bottom plate 4|{and adapted to be swung later-- ally away from said slots 41 to perrnit remova of the cooling chamber. r

The upper'threaded ends of the rods 45 extend .5; through openings in a top plate 48 and. are held in engagement therewith by the wing nuts 49, see Fig. 1. surroundingthe neck 3 and is provided vwith suitable grooves'that receive the rubber pads5ll. V .Q,'.'

that engage and rest upon the top portion'2 of the glass cooling chamber, said plate being held in sufiiciently tight engagement with the top portion of ,the cooling chamber, and the cooling chamber being held in its proper position by tightening the nuts 49 on theupper ends ofthe rod 45 ,againstthe top of the plate 48, asshown inFig. 1. To removethe cooling chamberrfor any reason,the nuts 49 are loosened and taken 7 off, the plate 48 lifted off the rods over the neck 3 and outlet 4, it being understood that the tube V 571s first removed, then the rods 45 are swung laterally out of engagement with the supporting plate 4|, and the cooling chamber can then be removed if necessary for replacement or anyother 6 required purpose. V a i r 7 While the-invention has been described with reference to certain structure and procedure, it"

is not confined to the details herein recited, and this application is intended to ,coveranymodifications or departures coming within the purposes The'top plate 48 has a central opening 7 of the invention or the scope of thei'ollowing claims.

I claim: 1, Apparatus for dispensing beer comprising a glass cooling chamber having rounded top and bottom portions terminating in an outlet and inlet respectively, a support having a central opening and a seat cooperating with the rounded part of said bottom portion, resilient pads in said rounded part of the seat engaging said bottom portion, a retaining plate engaging the rounded part of said top portion of the cooling chamber and having a central opening to receive the outlet, resilient pads around said opening located between the retaining plate and the rounded part of said top portion, retaining rods removably engaging guideways in the support, and means for securing said rods in relation to said retaining plate so as to retain the latter and the cooling chamber in position.

2. Apparatus for dispensing beer comprising a glass cooling chamber having rounded top and bottom portions terminating in an outlet and inlet respectively, a support having a seat engaging the outer surface of the rounded part of said bottom portion, a retaining plate engaging the outer surface of the rounded part of said top portion, said support having lateral slots or re-' cesses, retaining rods attachable at their lower ends and removably positionable in said slots in the support, the upper ends of said rods extending through openings in said retaining plate, and means for fastening said rods in relation to said retaining plate to hold the latter in fixed engagement with the cooling chamber.

RAY KNAPP. 

